Hair clips and barrettes are frequently used, primarily by girls and women, to hold braided or otherwise gathered strands of hair in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Hair clips and barrettes are also used to help control hair that is difficult to manage. Though existing hair clips and barrettes generally accomplish these intended tasks, they suffer from numerous disadvantages.
The common barrette includes a decorative or ornamental outer member that is pivotally coupled to an inner locking clip. In operation, the outer member is passed over gathered strands of hair and the inner locking clip is simultaneously passed under the strands of hair. This is done from the side, generally perpendicular to the gathered strands of hair. The outer member and the inner-locking clip are then pivoted to a closed position and fastened together such that the gathered strands of hair are held between the outer member and the inner locking clip.
When attempting to hold gathered strands of hair with a barrette, it is very difficult to hold the desired amount of hair. As a result, the wearer often inadvertently holds too little or too much hair. When too much hair is held, the barrette pulls on the wearer's scalp. When too little hair is held, the barrette tends to fall out, and thereby release the hair. Furthermore, barrettes tend to apply pressure unevenly to the gathered strands of hair. The strands of hair held in a barrette are subjected to more or less pressure depending upon where a particular strand is positioned within the barrette's clip. Another problem with barrettes is that during removal, the gathered strands of hair can get caught in the hinge or the locking clip. When this occurs, the strands of hair may be pulled out of the wearer's scalp, which can be painful. Finally, the barrette's lock can be difficult to find when removal of the barrette is desired.
A typical hair clip includes a pair of jaws operable by a pair of short, opposed opening levers and a torsion spring that biases the jaws in a closed position. In operation, the levers are squeezed together, thereby causing the jaws to open. The open jaws are positioned around the gathered strands of hair and the levers are released, thereby allowing the torsion spring to return the jaws to the closed position so that the gathered strands of hair are held between the closed jaws.
The torsion springs utilized in such hair clips must create enough torque to hold the gathered strands of hair securely between the closed jaws. As a result, substantial force must be applied to the short levers to open the jaws sufficiently to position the open jaws around the gathered strands of hair. Once opened, the jaws must be held open continuously until the gathered strands of hair are properly positioned within the hair clip. Because of the short moment arm of the lever, it can be difficult for some wearer's to hold the jaws open for more than a short time. Furthermore, such hair clips have aesthetic drawbacks. The configuration of the jaws of the hair clip leaves the posterior side of the hinge area and the metal spring exposed. This is particularly unattractive as it gives a somewhat mechanical appearance to the hair clip, thereby detracting from its intended decorative or ornamental appearance.
A need, therefore, exists for an attractive hair clamp that is both decorative and easy to use and that holds braided or otherwise gathered strands of hair uniformly without causing discomfort to the wearer.